Oryza glaberrima
African rice, second most common rice / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Oryza glaberrima?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Oryza glaberrima, commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species.[1] It was first domesticated and grown in West Africa around 3,000 years ago.[2][3] In agriculture, it has largely been replaced by higher-yielding Asian rice (O. sativa),[2] and the number of varieties grown is declining.[1] It still persists, making up an estimated 20%[4] of rice grown in West Africa. It is now rarely sold in West African markets, having been replaced by Asian strains.[5]
Oryza glaberrima | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Poaceae |
Genus: | Oryza |
Species: | O. glaberrima |
Binomial name | |
Oryza glaberrima | |
Wild range. Cultivated range is much larger. |
In comparison to Asian rice, African rice is hardy, pest-resistant, low-labour, and suited to a larger variety of African conditions.[1] It is described as filling, with a distinct nutty flavour.[4] It is also grown for cultural reasons; for instance, it is sacred to followers of Awasena (a traditional African religion) among the Jola people,[6] and is a heritage variety in the United States.[7]
Crossbreeding between African and Asian rice is difficult, but there exist some crosses.[8][9][10] Jones et al. 1997 and Gridley et al. 2002 provide hybrids combining glaberrima's disease resistance and sativa's yield potential.[11]